Mobley’s Job Is Kobe Containment

The “Kobe stopper” plays in the Pacific Northwest, although Ruben Patterson and the Portland Trail Blazers won’t have a chance to stop anybody in the playoffs, leaving open the possibility of Patterson’s self-proclaimed title being taken away.

Is Houston guard Cuttino Mobley the next-best thing? He’s a little shorter, at 6 feet 4 giving up two inches to Bryant, but he has made a decent case against Bryant this season, most recently with his defense Saturday night in Game 1.

Bryant made only four of 19 shots, including one of 11 in the fourth quarter, and finished with 16 points after making seven of eight free throws.

Mobley had plenty of double-team help, but he has held Bryant to an 18.5-point average in four games this season, 5.5 points below Bryant’s season average.

The Kobe stopper? Not according to Mobley, who doesn’t even want to be a Kobe talker.

“I’m not into all that,” he said. “Everybody knows that about me. I’m not a talker.

“Of course Kobe’s going to score. The thing is, you’ve got to make him take tough shots. We can’t give him any easy buckets. He’s got to find a way to score.”

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Jim Jackson began Sunday’s practice at Staples Center by grabbing a ball and firing from the same spot in the corner where he missed in the final seconds of Saturday’s 72-71 loss to the Lakers.

The result?

He missed again.

“But I know I’ll make it next time,” he said.

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It hasn’t happened yet this season, but now would be a good time for the Rockets to stop turning over the ball.

The league’s second-worst team in turnovers during the regular season, the Rockets had 22 Saturday, 15 by halftime.

During one stretch in the first quarter, they had turnovers on four consecutive possessions. Point guard Steve Francis had two passes that were notable only because of how badly they missed their target. Francis and Mobley each had seven turnovers, more than double their usual number.

Combined with only 13 team assists, it was easy to see how the Rockets finished with only one more point than the team record for fewest points in a playoff game.

Coach Jeff Van Gundy corrected a reporter at Sunday’s practice who said turnovers had “kind of” been a problem this season.

“Kind of?” he said. “That’s ‘kind of’ an understatement.

“We certainly know the importance of low turnovers, even though we don’t do it very often. It’s not that they don’t know the value of it. They know explicitly. It’s just, can you do it?”

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The Rockets’ mantra since Game 1 has been to forget about it, with Mobley putting the most distinct spin on it.

“You can’t get hyped off of one situation,” he said.

“It’s too premature. If a girl gives you a wink, does that means she likes you? No, not at all. She’s probably just friendly.”